How to Manage your Health with Yoga and Ayurveda

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Variations on a Theme

When I first started Yoga I didn’t have a clue what was going on. My body was tight and uncompromising and I felt stupid moving my body into shapes that hurt. Don’t get me wrong I have always loved being physical, I was a dancer from a young age. But Yoga was a whole different story. As a dancer my body was athletic and muscle bound, years of jumping and minimal stretching plus weak arms meant that I broke a sweat in just about every Yoga posture.

So what happened? How did I change my attitude towards Yoga and start to reap the benefits? For that matter how have I managed to see Diabetes as a plus in my life?

I love a challenge, thats it! If it looks like I can’t do something – that’s when I flip it around and try my best. I figure if I don’t give it my all what’s the point?

I’ve been lucky, years of discipline as a dancer has given me the ability to persist against my own resistance and that’s what’s enabled me to stay disciplined with my eating habits and consistently checking my blood sugar levels. But for those of us who aren’t naturally disciplined? What’s the solution.

To make something a habit, there needs to be a desire to repeat the habit. What ever we do needs to feel good. This is how I overcame the initial stages of resistance to doing a daily Yoga practice. Rather than going for the end result I built up my strength and ability to hold a pose. I took the pose in stages until I was ready. Sometimes it took a few tries, sometimes it took years. It didn’t matter. We all know the old adage, it’s the journey not the destination.

To start our journey with Yoga today below is a short sequence to build your strength in one of the most popular Yoga postures, Down Dog. Down Dog is a great pose to strengthen your arms, open your hamstrings and stretch your spine. It’s an inverted pose so it lowers blood pressure, it’s good for the glandular system including the thyroid and it opens the lungs. I have put the sequence in stages and recommend that you start with the easiest variations first, stopping and breathing along the way. Have a beautiful practice… with great respect Rachel

Start in Childs pose take your seat to your heels and have your belly against your thighs. Reach your arms out in front and lift your elbows, Breath deeply so you can feel the back of your body breathing.

Come into Half dog. This is a perfect variation to Down Dog. Make sure your hips and knees are in line as you stretch you arms out in front. Place a blanket under your knees if they are sensitive. Rest your forehead on the floor.

Another great transition pose is Cat pose. Have your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Breathe and relax here.

from Cat or Childs pose send your sitting bones high to the sky. Keep your knees bent which helps to lengthen the spine especially if you are tight in the hamstrings. Make sure your feet are no wider than your inner hips. Bring your weight towards your hips away from your hands. Feel your spine long and extended.

To come into the full posture straighten your legs, make sure there is no pressure in your lower back or pain in the hamstrings. If there is, bend the knees again. Push the floor away from your hands sending the weight towards your hips. Engage your thigh muscles and breathe deeply into your chest. If you feel tightness behind the shoulders round your upper spine a little to relieve the pressure. Hold for 10 breaths unless you feel fatigued. Come down and rest in childs pose

If Down Dog is too challenging and you can’t do Half Dog because you have knee pain or its hard to get down to the floor, place your hands on blocks underneath your shoulders. Extend your spine and breathe. This is also a great variation if you have high blood pressure because the head stays level with the heart. If you don’t have blocks you can also do this with your hands at the wall with the arms extended. If the hamstrings are tight bend the knees.

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[…] and strength at the outset so if you’ve never done one before I would suggest you check out my previous post to start to build the strength to join in on the video below. I hope you’ll join me in […]